White House, Nunes blocked ex-acting AG from testifying

Carrie Doyle | April 2, 2017, 0:13

White House, Nunes blocked ex-acting AG from testifying

He would not say whether it was the same material Nunes had already seen. He also requested that Nunes agree to hold the public hearing with former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, though he said the chairman has yet to commit to do so. Fending off growing criticism, the administration invited lawmakers from both parties to view classified material it said relates to surveillance of the president's associates.

After speaking to reporters, Nunes headed to the White House, where Trump presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Nunes' independence, however, has been called into question by Schiff and some other members of Congress following the last big cliffhanger in this melodrama.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) canceled a hearing on Russian Federation where former acting Attorney General Sally Yates was to testify the same day the Trump administration voiced objections to him about her planned testimony. But he raised concerns that Trump officials may have used Nunes to "launder information to our committee to avoid the true source".

Spicer had previously dismissed the notion that the White House had funneled information to Nunes, saying the idea that the congressman would come and brief Trump on material the president's team already had "doesn't pass the smell test".

"Ultimately the speaker and the chair decide who they want to run this investigation and they'll have to articulate why and how they feel that can be done credibly", Schiff said.

Nunes revealed that he had seen secret documents that suggested Trump and his aides had been swept up in US surveillance of foreign targets.

"The White House did not respond and took no action that prevented Ms. Yates from testifying", the spokesman said.

Nunes has remained mum regarding the identity or identities of his source for the reports, which showed information on President Trump and his associates was incidentally collected during the transition between administrations.

When asked if Nunes should step down from the Russian Federation investigation House Speaker Paul Ryan, R- Wis. said "No and no".

Schiff and some Republicans, including Arizona Sen. But Republican leaders in the House and Senate appear unenthusiastic about anything like that and Trump would not sign any legislation that created a nuisance for himself.